SABIC deepens collaboration with Bruckner to encourage circular material use in film manufacturing

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC, a global leader in diversified chemicals, is pleased to announce its recent collaboration with a leader in film manufacturing technologies, Bruckner Maschinenbau, as per the company's press release.

This industry-leading innovation combines SABIC’s certified circular BOPP and BOPE materials with Bruckner’s world leading manufacturing technology for flexible packaging. The collaboration aims to encourage flexible packaging manufacturers to use SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE solutions for certified circular polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) to create more sustainable products.

The certified circular products from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio are made from feedstock recycling of difficult to recycle post-consumer used plastics. Its certified circular BOPP polymer uses recycled material without compromising on quality. Meaning the performance of the film including the stiffness toughness balance, barrier properties and hot fill requirements are met, whilst meeting the food compliance standards, high product purity and safety requirements. This most recent combination of Bruckner and SABIC’s technological innovations has resulted in the creation of a unique platform to produce specialized BOPP (biaxially-oriented polypropylene) films. These films can be used for various flexible applications such as labels, tape and food packaging such as confectionary, snacks, baked good, dried fruits, pasta and fresh food packaging.

As the world-leading biax-film machine manufacturer, Bruckner tested SABIC’s certified circular BOPP material in their own technology center as a drop-in solution for biax-film applications. Trials demonstrated once again that BOPP films made from SABIC’s certified circular polypropylene is fully in line with industry’s need for more sustainability-focused solutions without any compromises on quality. The material’s processability and stretchability performance was shown to be on a parr with the best performing reference materials.

Dr. Stefan Seibel, Head of New Technologies, Bruckner Maschinenbau, said: “Flexible packaging converters are expanding their range of applications and offer a polypropylene which incorporates recycled content as a drop-in solution and viable alternative to existing biax-film lines, offering added sustainability benefits without affecting quality. This is a huge step forward in our journey towards closing the loop across the plastics value chain and working together to create a circular economy.”

Mark Vester, Circular Economy Leader at SABIC, said: “With Bruckner’s machinery and processing expertise, convertors can take full advantage of our innovative TRUCIRCLE solutions and integrate it into their flexible packaging. SABIC and Bruckner are working together to find further solutions to improve the recyclability of packaging films and enable manufacturers to create more sustainable products which will help to drive forward the circularity of our industry.”

SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio and services is a considerable milestone on the journey towards closing the loop and creating a circular economy for plastics. It showcases SABIC’s circular innovations and can help manufacturers reduce plastic waste by using more sustainable materials. The TRUCIRCLE portfolio spans design for recyclability, mechanically recycled products, certified circular products from feedstock recycling of used plastic and certified renewables products from bio-based feedstock.

Bruckner and SABIC have previously collaborated to create more sustainable materials for the packaging industry. In 2019, both companies worked together to successfully introduce BOPE films into the market. These films are based on raw material developments, which offer completely new possibilities for the film and packaging industry. Currently there is a strong need to develop mono-material PE based flexible packaging to fit with existing collection and recycling operations. This collaboration has demonstrated a positive step to contribute to these needs.

As MRC informed before, SABIC has recently launched a sustainable packaging solution for frozen food which combines a new PE grade with innovative film production technology. Compared to conventional blow PE film solutions, it offers significantly higher throughput and also has potential for down-gauging, making it attractive from both a commercial and sustainability standpoint.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PE production totalled 1,712,400 tonnes in the first seven months of 2020, up by 58% year on year. Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) accounted for the greatest increase in the output. At the same time, overall PP production in Russia increased in January-July 2020 by 24% year on year to 1,063,700 tonne. ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the main increase in the output.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) ranks among the world"s top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world"s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hurricane Delta is on track to reach the US Gulf Coast (USGC) between High Island, Texas, northeast of Houston, and Grand Isle, Louisiana, south of New Orleans, Friday, according to Chemweek with reference to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Located north of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula Wednesday afternoon, the storm is forecast to strengthen as it heads north toward the heart of the US petrochemical industry.

At 2 p.m. ET, Delta was passing over the northern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, with maximum winds near 100 mph, making it a category 2 hurricane. The storm is moving northwest at 17 mph, according to the NHC.

"Delta is expected to grow in size as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast, where there is an increasing likelihood of hurricane-force winds beginning Friday, particularly for portions of the Louisiana coast," the NHC said in its latest advisory.

According to meteorologists at the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang, Delta could be a Category 2 or 3 hurricane when it slams onshore US soil, and it may have a serious impact on some of the beleaguered parts of southwest Louisiana that were hit hard by Hurricane Laura, a category 4 storm, in late August.

On Tuesday, Delta was briefly a Category 4 hurricane before it grazed the coastline of northern Yucatan Peninsula.

According to the US Energy Information Administration's latest Energy Disruptions map, Delta could make landfall along the Texas-Louisiana coastline between Port Arthur, Texas; and Morgan City, Louisiana, in an area where about half a dozen US refineries are located, including Valero's 415,000-b/d Port Arthur refinery; ExxonMobil's 539,000-b/d refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Phillips 66's 269,140-b/d Alliance refinery in Belle Chasse, Louisiana; and CITGO's 440,000-b/d Lake Charles, Louisiana, refinery.

On Wednesday, Phillips 66 said a complete restart of its 440,000-b/d Lake Charles refinery has been temporarily delayed until the storm passes. Reliable electricity has only recently been restored to the facility following Hurricane Laura. Also, the Alliance refinery will stay down as previously announced for planned maintenance.

BP said in its latest storm update Wednesday it has begun evacuating personnel from its platforms and assets and is beginning to shut-in production.

In addition, the four Mobile offshore drilling units contracted to BP are in the process of securing their wells.

Shell said in a storm update that it is closely monitoring Delta as it approaches the company's production facilities in Covent, Geismar, and Norco in Louisiana.

A Valero spokeswoman said the company is monitoring Delta as it assesses its Gulf Coast refining operations.

Delta is set to become the tenth tropical storm or hurricane to make landfall in the mainland US this year, breaking the record set in 1916. It would also be the fifth hurricane out of those US landfalls, according to Weather.com.

As MRC reported earlier, strengthening hurricane Delta forced the closure of 29.2% of offshore crude oil production in the US-regulated northern Gulf of Mexico by midday Tuesday, regulator US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing PE and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PE production totalled 1,712,400 tonnes in the first seven months of 2020, up by 58% year on year. Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) accounted for the greatest increase in the output. At the same time, overall PP production in Russia increased in January-July 2020 by 24% year on year to 1,063,700 tonne. ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the main increase in the output.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo, a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders, and synthetic rubber, and its affiliate companies in Europe, have announced a price increase for all polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (SAN) in Europe, according to the company's press release as of 5 October.

Effective October 1, 2020, or as existing contract terms allow, the contract and spot prices for the products listed below rose as follows:

- STYRON general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) -- by EUR75 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-Tech and STYRON X- Tech and STYRON C- Tech high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) - by EUR75 per metric ton;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR50 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR30 per metric ton.

As MRC informed before, Trinseo last raised its prices for all PS, ABS and SAN grades on 1 September 2020, as stated below:

- STYRON GPPS -- by EUR30 per metric ton;
- STYRON and STYRON A-Tech and STYRON X- Tech and STYRON C- Tech HIPS - by EUR30 per metric ton;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR35 per metric ton;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR30 per metric ton.

According to ICIS-MRC Price report, October prices of Russian PS continued their upward trend. A shortage of material remained in the domestic market. Traders said Nizhnekamskneftekhim reduced its offer prices for this month's PS purchases to 40%. October prices of Nizhnekamskneftekhim's GPPS grew for the agreed with buyers quantities to Rb89,000-95,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, whereas HIPS - to Rb93,000-99,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT.

Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber. Trinseo's technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Formerly known as Styron, Trinseo completed its renaming process in 1Q 2015. Trinseo had approximately USD3.8 billion in net sales in 2019, with 17 manufacturing sites around the world, and approximately 2,700 employees.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Braskem S.A. has informed its shareholders and the market that, in view of an identified cyber-attack occurred in its Information Technology environment, the protection system interrupted, as a precautionary measure, the access to some of its servers and software, impacting its operations, as per the company's statement.

The company has been making every effort to normalize its systems in accordance with its information security protocols and will keep the market informed, to the extent required by applicable law.

As MRC reported previously, Brazilian petrochemical producer Braskem's 450,000 mt/year polypropylene (PP) plant in LaPorte, Texas, along the Houston Ship Channel completed its initial commercial production, as per the company's statement as of Sept. 10. "The launch of commercial production at our new world-class PP production line in La Porte clearly affirms Braskem's position as the North American polypropylene market leader," Braskem America CEO Mark Nikolich said in a statement. With a USD750 million investment, the new PP plant's construction started in October 2017 and was completed in June, 2020.

Braskem operates five other US PP plants in Texas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, with a cumulative capacity of 1.57 million mt/year that the company acquired. The new plant in La Porte, Texas, is Braskem America's first PP new build.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, overall PP production in Russia increased in January-July 2020 by 24% year on year to 1,063,700 tonne. ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the main increase in the output.

Braskem S.A. produces petrochemicals and generates electricity. The Company produces ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene, xylenes, butadiene, butene, isoprene, dicyclopentediene, MTBE, caprolactam, ammonium sulfate, cyclohexene, polyethylene theraphtalat, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Strengthening hurricane Delta forced the closure of 29.2% of offshore crude oil production in the U.S.-regulated northern Gulf of Mexico by midday Tuesday, regulator U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said, as per Reuters.

The storm, already a dangerous category 4, also turned off 8.6% of natural gas output from the Gulf of Mexico, BSEE said.

As MRC informed earlier, hurricane Sally crawled offshore along the US Gulf Coast on Wednesday, moving away from oil fields while soaking the region with heavy rains that could dampen fuel demand in the US southeast. The hurricane has shut more than a quarter of US offshore Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production and stirred heavy seas that closed ports from Louisiana to Florida. It moved at a snail's pace toward a Wednesday landfall on the coast between Mississippi and Florida.

As MRC wrote earlier, US Gulf of Mexico producers have shut in roughly 27% of offshore oil and natural gas output ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Sally, which was slowly heading towards the Alabama coast Sept. 15, according to the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Producers have shut in 497,072 b/d of crude and 760 MMcf/d of gas output, 26.87% and 28.03% of total offshore US Gulf output, respectively. A total of 152 platforms and rigs were evacuated, according to BSEE.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing PE and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PE production totalled 1,712,400 tonnes in the first seven months of 2020, up by 58% year on year. Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) accounted for the greatest increase in the output. At the same time, overall PP production in Russia increased in January-July 2020 by 24% year on year to 1,063,700 tonne. ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the main increase in the output.
MRC